


Journey's End

by JulianObviouslyLovesToad



Category: Fire Emblem Echoes: Mou Hitori no Eiyuu Ou | Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia
Genre: Explicit Sexual Content, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Post-Game, Self-Discovery, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-25
Updated: 2017-05-27
Packaged: 2018-11-04 17:41:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10995768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JulianObviouslyLovesToad/pseuds/JulianObviouslyLovesToad
Summary: Six years after the war, Valbar finds himself with some rather new and unexpected feelings and sets out on a quest to discover their, and his, true nature. Leon, who has taken to maladaptive daydreaming to while away his spare time when there aren't city folk to sell fruits to, finds himself along for the ride. Kamui is as hopeless as ever.





	1. The Road Before Us

Leon sighed, leaning forward on his stool, bum leg stretched out as far as it could go under the display of his stall. His cane lay propped against the wooden framework, within easy reach and protecting his cash box. He counted his pomelos for a third time that day. They usually sold quickly, as citrus fruits were a local favorite, but the chill hovering in the air kept his customers away. It had been misting lightly all day, but the moisture never grew thick enough for Leon to close up shop, so he sat, and waited.

He waited for the children who usually ran by and up, tossing tiny coins from tiny hands to take fruits bigger than their excitedly large eyes and grubby little fingers could handle. He waited for the women who would compliment his hair and his fruits and other wares, who would talk about unfulfilled desires with their favorite vendor when unaccompanied by husbands or children. He waited for the men who mistook him for a woman, who sputtered apologies from faces redder than his pomegranites. But none of them came. He cursed the weather and moved on to counting another fruit.

He pressed his fingers to his lips, testing the makeup he'd recently concocted for smearing. When his fingers came away clean, he made a note to himself to purchase more Dagon scales and another shipment of cactus fruits, as the ladies who worked in the castle, be they noble or not, would love his new creation. He made the the dye himself, buying the plants that were barely edible from a traveling merchant who was mistakenly of ill repute for selling bug-infested wares. Apparently no one but Leon and the merchant himself knew that the insects were the biggest draw of the wares. But, with that being the case, he had the market on make-up cornered with his cheap, non-gemstone reds and pinks, and the gardens surrounding the castle never found themselves with a shortage of ladybugs or other helpful crawling things.

He remembered the last time he'd taken a container full of ladybugs up to the gardens. He'd caught Clair's attention from where she'd been working with new riders and excused herself to come sit with him while he rested his aching leg. Eventually her girls and one guy had wandered over and joined them. They had liked him as much as the class before had, and Leon was more than interested in learning about how the male recruit had gotten a pegasus to allow itself to be ridden by a man.

Leon enjoyed spending time with the ladies of the castle as well as of the Brotherhood, though occasionally one of them would take a special shine to him, which he found uncomfortable at best. Clair always had a good laugh at his expense whenever a woman tried to court the former sniper. Once a young lady stopped approaching Leon as a woman courting a man and took on the role of a man courting Leon as if a woman, Clair's bell-like titter would become a hearty belly-laugh. She'd try to maintain her dignified air, but watching Leon flounder through gifts of flowers and jewelry, trying to weasel out of the ladies' advances without being too impolite would have her in tatters and tearing up. As much as he disliked the advances of the women, he liked to hear Clair let loose, and it brought back a smile to his face that a recent painful spasm in his leg had chased away.

He often stopped, whenever he had the excuse, to watch Valbar working with recruits. Just as often, he was pulled away from watching the object of his affections by the ladies of the castle. Valbar's amused smile at the commotion Leon caused amongst the women of the castle was worth any idle chit-chat or dressing up they could subject him to. He would wave to the other when he could, and if Valbar waved back he would forget the ache in his leg from the walk.

"Hello, friend," came the sound of that treasured voice, and Leon thought he might have been daydreaming just a bit too deeply for a moment when he looked up to find his heart's desire standing right in front of him. He nearly fell off his stool, earning a chuckle from Valbar. If he'd had the courage to describe the moment, he would have sworn his face as pink as the pitayas he sold, as hot as the peppers from the stall two down. The young woman who ran the bread stall across the way gave him a curious look and he waved her off.

"Valbar," Leon said, getting his wits about him, "it's wonderful to see you. What brings you out this way?" he asked, proud that his voice belied the way his heart was pounding. Caught off guard, daydreaming about the very man who startled him - he wanted to shake his head, but he resisted, plastering on a demure smile instead. Being away from combat had dulled his senses, he thought.

"I came to see you," Valbar said, tilting his head ever so slightly.

He was an impressive man, tall and well-muscled. Maybe he had a bit of a gut, but his appetite was warranted with the sheer volume of thickly corded tissue present on the man, with his ever-present joviality. Even without his armor, he may cause concern for some, like the woman across the way, a friend of Leon's, who glanced over every now and then as they spoke.

"You came all the way out here just to see little ol' me?" Leon asked. He tilted his head down and looked up at Valbar through his lashes before teasing, "you really know how to make a guy feel special." He blinked slowly when he thought he saw a hint of pink rising to Valbar's cheeks.

"I've been instructed to take a few weeks of leave, and I wanted to spend some time catching up with friends I don't see as often as I'd like these days," the older man managed, only sputtering a couple of times. Leon's flirting had started to get to him in light of recent decisions he'd made.

"Leave? Are you alright, my friend?" Leon asked, starting to get to his feet. He wanted nothing more than to reach out and lay a hand on Valbar's arm.

The knight stepped around the cart and braced Leon about the elbow as he stood. Leon placed his opposite hand on Valbar's chest and looked up at the other, his eyes wide and worried.

"Yes!" Valbar quickly said, wanting that terrified expression to leave his dearest friend's face. "I am fine, I promise you, my friend. I was just ordered to take the time off because I've yet to take it when it has been offered. Sir Clive has been offering time for many seasons now, and as of late, Lukas has teamed up with him and brought my refusal to take time off to the king and queen, and they have ordered me to take a break. Her Highness Anthise has even offered me a getaway at a small southern island where some of her dearest friends hail from." Realizing he was rambling, he chuckled, finally helping Leon to stand on his own. The younger man reached for his cane and Valbar had it in the smaller hands in a fraction of a second.

"A southern island, you say?" Leon asked, cocking his hip and leaning heavily on his cane. He was often surprised how well his injury lent itself to his natural sassiness and semi-dramatic posturing. "You're going to have to bring me back a sampling of the fruit and a list of the names of merchants there." Valbar's lips parted in an uneasy gesture, and he scratched his sideburn nervously. "Oh? If it is too much work, I can compensate you for your efforts. I wouldn't ask something of you without being able to repay you in kind, my dear."

"Actually," Valbar started with a shrug of his hefty shoulders, "I was thinking of going to visit Kamui," he admitted.

"Oh," Leon said, hiding the disappointment at having his friend go somewhere so potentially dangerous behind a practiced smile. "Enjoy yourself, my friend. You've earned it."

"Well, I haven't decided where I'm going to go just yet, or if I'm even going to leave the city. I was hoping you might help me decide."

"Me? My dear friend, I already have a financial investment in you taking a trip to the southern island," he teased. "But, I suppose I could help you weight the pros and cons of each destination, and plan a most splendid trip."

"Good, then," Valbar said, smiling brightly. The endearing expression warmed Leon's heart, placing his hand on his own chest as his practiced smile melted into a smaller, much more genuine one. "Would you come to my home tomorrow evening to help me decide? I will make us a meal fit for such planning we will surely undertake."

"As much as I would love to come to your place, how am I to get there with this bum leg?" Leon asked. "Riding a horse causes me such pain, or I would still be with the Brotherhood. I often struggle just to get to market in the mornings, though I swear to you the effort is worth it. Plus, I've made many friends who are kind enough to lend a pretty cripple a hand."

"Don't talk about yourself like that," Valbar said, a small frown puffing his lower lip slightly.

"What? You don't think I'm pretty?" Leon teased. When Valbar made to correct the other, Leon interrupted; "I am crippled, old friend, but I do my best not to let it hold me back. Most days, it does not."

"And those remaining days?" Valbar asked. He made to reach out and take Leon's arm, but stopped himself and brought his hand back to his person to rest it on his slight stomach.

"Let us speak of this no more, mm? This is a happy occasion, and I'll not spoil it with this dreary line of thought," Leon said, turning his nose up and waving away the other's questions with his free hand. "I shall take a carriage, as most would do," Leon said with a nod.

"I'll send one for you, my friend," Valbar offered. "May I help you take in your wares?"

"So you wish to spoil me in exchange for my planning services? I suppose I am an excellent planner."

Valbar laughed in response and the two set to taking the stand down to prepare it to move. When the young man with the donkey that usually helped Leon out in exchange for a few fruit, Valbar assured him he would pull it that day and the man looked disappointed. Leon gave the young man a pomelo anyway for coming by.

Once gone, Leon told the young man's story; "His wife passed while giving birth to his daughter. Her family was outraged and blamed him and the little girl, taking away the small home they'd given him when they'd wed. He and his daughter now live in a little shack on the edge of the late wife's family's property, and all he owns is some cookware and that donkey. He feeds his young child, she is six now, by pulling carts for those of us of a fairer constitution. He tells me she always asks for pomelos, and he did come by, so I may as well share when I can." Leon looked over at Valbar when the larger man put his hand on Leon's back.

"You have a kind heart, my friend," Valbar said, hoping the warming of his heart would translate through his touch to the sharp shoulder blades.

"You flatter me," Leon denied, turning away to hide a broad grin.

The following evening, after Leon had returned from the market and brushed his hair, there came a knock at his door.

"My, what timing," he said to himself, applying a bit of a gem-based powder about his eyes. He hurried to the door and showed himself out. The driver helped him into the carriage, handing up his cane after Leon was seated. As they left the comfort of his lodgings, his neighborhood, Leon couldn't help but think of how comfortably he lived. His home was just large enough to be lonely. Bed just big enough for another body. He wondered, not for the first time in recent years, if he could afford that journey he and Kamui had talked about all those years ago. Not that there was anything wrong with Valbar - on the contrary, he continued to be a grand example of a wonderful man, worth every bit of Leon's devotion, every piece of his still-beating heart that Leon had devoted to him. However, with Valbar's time taken by training new recruits, he'd started to feel isolated. Wrapping himself in the coat Valbar had given him back when they were at war, when they'd first come to the cold north, and pretending it were the man's arms didn't always stop his shaking on the coldest of nights. Though, he reasoned, the chill always had stuck with him longer when he refused to eat meat. With the war long past and Valentia rebuilding, he could stand to eat things that weren't so hearty, and after his injury, he didn't want to gain weight, so sausage and yogurt were rare treats he afforded himself only once a moon, if that.

He laughed when the carriage driver's "sir?" startled him out of daydreaming about going on a grand adventure with Kamui. How they'd bicker, defeat brigands, and even how they'd take comfort in each other under the cover of night like they'd done near the end of the war. How the feelings that arose from that had almost ended their friendship. When it was all said and done, however, they'd come out closer than ever, even if there was a physical distance between them. Leon let himself be helped from the carriage and accepted his cane. He gave the man his thanks and a few coins, which he tried to deny, but accepted in the end when Leon told him to pass them along to someone in need if he had no need for them.

Valbar's living arrangements were much like his own, spacious, but not an exercise in overindulgence. They also had the potential to be lonely, when Leon knew the man had lived in a similarly sized home before they had met with his wife and child and other family members. To come from such crowding, Leon figured the lodgings must feel barren to his beloved.

He was greeted with a broad, bright smile, and his daydreams were left on the doorstep when the bigger man invited him in and helped him to the small kitchencumdiningroom, and ushered him into a seat at the table that was almost too large for the space. Dishes were laid out over the table - olives, prunes, nuts, fried fish, finger-sized sausages, cubes of various cheeses, steamed carrots that were seasoned, and a large cup of yogurt sat before him. Valbar added one more dish, mixed greens, to the table before pouring them both a glass of wine and finally sitting. Seeing so many of his favorite foods, Leon started to worry.

"Come, my friend, eat. We've a long night of planning, and possibly some good-natured arguing, ahead of us," Valbar instructed, splaying a large hand at the food.

"Valbar," Leon started, his voice uncharacteristically small, "have you some horrible news to give me?" His voice quaked when he tried to raise it, so he relented to little more than a whisper.

"What?"

"You are ill, aren't you?" Leon asked. "Please tell me now. It'll be easier to bear if I can see it coming-"

"No, no! I swear to you, my friend! I am in fine health. I merely meant for us to enjoy our planning and prepared foods that we both like." Valbar moved his chair closer to Leon, ready to reach out should he need to. Leon heaved a sigh of relief and dabbed daintily at the corner of one eye with a single finger. The purple haired man laughed at himself.

"I am sorry," he said, still chuckling to himself.

"No, I apologize," Valbar said, shaking his head. "I didn't realize you'd think of the foods I had made that way. Now, eat something. You have lost weight since you retired from the Brotherhood." Leon laughed when Valbar heaped the plate in front of him with sausages and carrots. Leon added some of the greens himself, and they made small talk for a portion of their meal.

When they got down to planning, two and a half glasses of wine each, Leon came to find that Clive had been worried about how stiff Valbar had been in recent days. He ordered the man take a vacation to relax the tightness from his limbs. Valbar admitted to missing relaxing with his friends and a bottle of ale. Leon promised he would never be far, should Valbar ever find himself in possession of a bottle and hours to whittle away. Valbar's shy smile warmed his heart to a level higher than the burn of drink rising to his cheeks. He thought he might regret that promise later, but could bring himself to feel nothing but joy at the other's expression.

Over the rest of the bottle they went over the advantages and disadvantages of various destinations. Once the bottle was gone, Valbar sat it down heavily and turned a guilty expression toward Leon. He had an admission:

"I must confess," he said, looking away briefly, "I had already planned the trip before I asked for your assistance." Leon pursed his lips, waiting for the other to continue. "The real reason I asked for your assistance was to determine if you would enjoy coming with me, should I ask it of you." Leon blinked, his lips falling slack.

"You- want me to come with you?"

"Of course, my dearest friend. I could not enjoy the pampering I will surely endure on the island without you, nor could I bear to see our old friends without you at my side. They were your friends as well. Kamui asks about you when we write. He said he appreciates the gifts you've sent him."

"It was just some fruit," Leon muttered, cupping his cheek and turning his head away.

"But it means you're thinking of him, and he appreciates it. I've been thinking of you for some time now, as well," Valbar said, coming too close to the truth of his innermost musings. He silently damned the wine for loosening his tongue, as he wasn't certain of those thoughts enough to give them a voice yet. "My dearest friend," Valbar started, cheeks rosy from drink, "would you accompany me on my vacation?"

"I will go anywhere you ask," Leon readily admitted. "I- tomorrow, I will have to sell my entire stock that I don't plan on taking to share with our friends, but I would be honored to travel by your side once more." Valbar's bright smile returned and Leon's heart skipped a beat. He took a moment to calm himself, closing his eyes and placing a hand over his heart.

"Leon?" Valbar asked.

"I apologize, my friend. I'm overcome with joy at the thought of traveling with you again." After a pause, he opened his eyes and added, "and a bit concerned that I may be ass over teakettle on pain elixirs for most of the journey if we are traveling on horseback."

"We can take a carriage most of the way."

"But the cost," Leon complained.

"I've plenty saved. With no one to provide for but myself and the occasional donation to the orphanage on the west side, it, well, it has piled up. Cost is of no concern, though I prefer to be frugal if it is within the bounds of reason. I would do nothing to cause you pain."

Leon wound up sleeping off the wine in bed with Valbar, back-to-back as they used to lay in their tent while on the march with Celica. He was too far gone to miss Kamui's snoring, too overjoyed to have that strong back pressed against his to realize just how plush the bed was or how much his injury screamed at him.

In the morning, Valbar helped him set aside a care package for their friends of the exotic fruits he sold, and they took the rest to market. He gossiped with the baker across the way, hobbling around excitedly, unable to sit down. He was able to sell most of his current stock, and gave the remaining two dozen fruits in his cart at the end of the day to the man with the donkey for taking the cart to his house and locking it up. His eyes were so wide and brimmed with tears. Leon almost cried as how thankful the man was.

"Are you ready to set out, my friend?" Valbar asked, taking Leon's arm when the younger man started shifting about uncomfortably.

"Almost. I just need to stop by the apothecary, and-"

"I've already taken care of your need for painkillers. The experienced healers from the castle provided me with a potion that should last you the entire trip." Leon stood on his own and eyed Valbar.

"Just how long have you been planning this trip, old friend?"

"Longer than I'd care to admit," Valbar answered a bit sheepishly. "I fear I've been neglecting our friendship, and it has weighed heavily on my heart for some time."

"You have your duties," Leon said, taking his turn to be supportive, patting the other's arm with his free hand. "I understand." Valbar gave that little smile that did terrifying things to Leon's heart and, resisting the strange urge to literally sweep the other off his feet, put his hand on the small of Leon's back.

"Are you ready to set off?"

"I need only to grab my things," Leon answered.


	2. Mercenaries, Have Mercy On Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your kind comments. I hope you continue to enjoy.
> 
> This chapter contains a description of Leon's injury.

The two spent most of the three day ride catching up on recent events in each others' lives.

Valbar spoke fondly of his new recruits, speaking at length of a few with real potential. He spoke of Lukas' school, and how even the elusive Mathilda was considering coming down to teach ettiquite classes. How the woman thought getting out of her overlarge home would be good for her, would help her lose the baby-weight and would allow her toddlers to see more of the world she had fought for. He mentioned how Luthier had been offered a teaching gig despite his social ineptitude, but figured the man could muster the authoritative tone needed to handle a class on the basics of magics. He also mentioned how Delthea outright denied the same offer her brother was given, but told them to give her brother her best wishes. Deciding to test the waters a bit, he brought up a blonde historian who had been amongst their ranks during the war, a young-looking man who may not have been only of human blood. He suggested that the man had taken a particular interest in Lukas, and his school by proxy. He intimated that the blonde's feelings must not be entirely unrequited if the way Lukas warmed around the man was any indication. Leon seemed surprised, especially when it was revealed that the man hailed from Archinea, where homosexuality was considered a far worse sin than it was in Valentia, especially in the south where it was mostly shrugged off as a minor character flaw at worst. When Valbar mentioned his writings with Kamui, Leon quickly changed the subject.

The merchant spoke of his friends: the lady across the way and her whole family of bakers; her father who made meat pies; her mother who made sweet breads; how her twins specialized in making larger loaves to feed bigger families, and how they took bread that was about to go stale to the same orphanage Valbar donated to on occasion. He told Valbar how the bread lady had been in their ranks during the war, and how she was an ace with a sword despite her delicate appearance and wouldn't fail to turn a stick on any man she felt had wronged Leon. He spoke again of the man with the donkey and his little girl, then of his bug-merchant. He talked about the ladies of the castle and Valbar laughed when Leon bemoaned his misfortune at them insisting they do his hair and put him in women's clothes.

"I hope you don't take this as an insult, my friend, but you might look nice in a simple dress," Valbar offered.

"Not you, too," Leon complained.

When their driver realized Leon was the vendor his wife bought the lemons from for her amazing lemon bars, he joined the conversation. The ride passed quickly.

There was a short line at the gate into the city, and a story about the driver's wife taking down a bear with a bow and arrow when their family was desperate for food during war times made the wait that much shorter. At the gate, a familiar face showed up outside the carriage.

"Well, if it ain't everyone's favorite fruit," Saber teased, leaning against the carriage.

"Well, if it isn't everyone's favorite classless sell-sword," Leon teased back. Sabre whistled and grinned.

"Don't let Jesse hear you say that. You'll break his little heart. Kamui is excited to see you both. He's got you a room in the best hotel in the city. I'll send word and he'll meet you in the tavern on the ground floor." He smiled again and patted the carriage's frame. "I want to catch up with you both. I'll see you sometime in the next couple of days." He looked over at Valbar. "Oh, and I'd advise you not to wear any weapons in the city. Someone might think you're for hire."

"Well met, good friend," Valbar said, smiling brightly in thanks for Saber's advice.

As it turned out, Kamui met them outside as soon as their carriage pulled up. After the driver had handed Leon back his cane, Kamui scooped up his former traveling companion in a strong embrace and spun him around. Back on his own two feet and cane, Leon turned his nose up at the affection, trying and failing not to smirk. Both men had a good chuckle at their greeting. Valbar was greeted with a firm handshake, Kamui's other hand placed over both of their interlocked ones.

"I have missed you both." Kamui admitted. "Come. We have much to catch up on, and I must share a pint with you before Jesse surely steals one or both of you away." He turned to their driver and offered his thanks and a room in a hotel a few blocks over, saying someone would send word when the duo was ready to leave again.

Over drinks, Kamui filled his friends in on his new, busy life, and warned that some people in the area may try to get in their good graces, seeing as they were friends with someone with some power in the land. He further warned that, once they were seen with Jesse, the flattery would surely see no end. He described life in the land of mercenaries, explained how every day held comical adventures, and more coin and paperwork than any fingers could handle. He took jobs, he had said, not because he needed the money, but because he was often bogged down in legal matters and paperwork, and to turn his sword against terrors or bandits was a delightful release from the mundane life of a pseudo-politician.

A group of men recognized Valbar, and drew the man into conversation. Their glasses clinked with every story relived, and their raucous laughter even afflicted Leon and Kamui.

The swordsman slid his stool closer to Leon.

"Valbar wrote me that you were injured," he started. "He wouldn't say what had happened. He said that was your tale to tell, not his place and all that. Wanna fill me in?"

Leon tore his eyes away from Valbar and turned to Kamui. "It was an embarrassing event," he admitted, taking up his mug.

"Still," Kamui said, bumping his elbow against the other's, "I'm sure there's a story."

"I took a lance clean through my leg. It cut the bone. Healers can mend the flesh and even organs, but bones can't be stitched together again but by the gods' graces," he lamented. "It often grinds if I put too much pressure on it, so I walk with a cane these days."

"I'm sorry, my friend," Kamui said, a frown etched onto his face, brows drawn together. "I would have come down, had I known. Valbar didn't tell me until several moons after it happened. Why haven't you written me?"

"I sent you things. Surely actions speak louder than words, do they not?" Leon asked, turning up his nose.

"Yeah, I suppose, and I really like the fruits you send. Jesse is always trying to nab a few, but I keep a close eye on them." He paused to laugh, and it faded quickly. He studied Leon for a moment, finding the other not looking at him or Valbar. "You're illiterate, aren't you?"

"Excuse you," Leon said, glaring, "I can read and write, thank you." After a moment, he quietly added, "just not very well."

"It's alright," Kamui comforted, laying his hand on Leon's elbow. "But I would appreciate hearing from you, even if it isn't all that eloquent."

"Yeah, well-" Noticing Leon's discomfort with the subject, Kamui shifted gears;

"Have you had another heart-to-heart with Valbar yet?"

"What are you talking about? We put that to rest years ago," Leon said, his nose wrinkling endearingly.

"You don't- you don't have feelings for him anymore?" Kamui asked, keeping his voice level. He tried to keep hope from worming into his words.

"Of course I still have feelings for him, you clod. I love him madly, but he isn't interested in anything more."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," Kamui said, sighing into the rim of his mug.

"Do you know something I don't?" Leon asked, eyeing his companion warily.

"Nope," Kamui answered, grinning.

"What do you know? I will end you if you don't tell me this instant!" Leon demanded.

"You? End me?" Kamui asked with a laugh. When Leon reached for his cane, Kamui put his hand over the smaller one. "Talk to him yourself, my friend." Leon huffed.

"Why do I get the feeling you're trying to sabotage the good relationship we have right now? Do you think I'll come running to you when he rejects me?"

"I wouldn't do that to you, princess," Kamui said. He stood and kissed his hand, patting Leon on the head with the same hand. "I need to be off, but I'll show you around the city tomorrow. Saber will probably want to come along for the ride and correct every single thing I have to say," he sighed fondly and shook his head. "Good night, friend."

"Good night, Kamui," Leon bid farewell and watched Kamui breeze out of the bar after saying goodnight to Valbar.

Leon lost himself to memories of nights spent with Kamui.

From the first night, where he had slyly offered the sell-sword coin for physical comfort, to when it stopped being a financial transaction and just about mutually relieving stress. When Kamui's touch became tender of their own accord, though he'd always asked the man to be gentle with him as he took him from behind. Kamui had known that Leon was fantasizing about Valbar, and his orders to keep quiet were less about not being found and more about not breaking his fantasy, yet Kamui rubbed his hips so softly, kissed his shoulder blades so delicately. Thrusted slow and deep and let Leon bite his arm to muffle himself. He thought of the night when he'd started the breakdown of their agreement.

He'd been so close, on edge for the last several minutes, but Kamui was dragging it out. Sliding his cock over that sweet spot on every excruciatingly slow thrust. Leon would be damned if he'd beg, but he needed something to push him over into bliss, so he reached back and took a handful of Kamui's hair and craned his neck to pull him into a rough kiss. Kamui gasped, his hips stuttering. When he recovered from the shock he kissed back hard, making Leon whine, fucking the fluttering passage with all of his strength and bringing them both to an earth-shattering climax.

After that, the no kissing, always taken from behind rules were frequently broken. Then Kamui started whispering sweet nothings, which led to more kissing to shut his mouth. The swordsman confessed he was developing feelings, and Leon had bluntly told him he felt the same for the other as he had at the beginning of their arrangement. They were friends, nothing more. He felt guilty, then and now, because he cared deeply for the man, but he had to dispel any delusions Kamui might have of their relationship becoming a romantic one.

"Leon?" Valbar asked, a little unnerved by Leon's distant stare, small pout on his pretty face. His eyes found fucus quickly at his beloved's call.

"Yes?" he lilted.

"Are you alright?" Valbar pushed Leon's bangs out of his face and found a smaller hand on the back of his as it moved down to rest on a slender shoulder.

"Yes, my friend. I was merely lost in thought for a moment," Leon admitted.

"How is your leg? Do you wish to turn in?"

"Oh, I was hoping for a bath, but I suppose I could do that tomorrow," he said, letting his hand linger as Valbar was doing the same.

"Then allow me to help you up to our room. How is the medicine working for you?"

"Delightfully, surprisingly," Leon admitted. "I feel almost as if I could walk without the cane. I'm not going to try my luck like that, but it is working as well as you had expected, my friend." Valbar offered his hand to help Leon up anyway, his other hand never leaving his shoulder. Once they started to walk, though, his hand had to drop away, lest their walk be an awkward one.

Leon managed the stairs with very little complaining, and sat down on the bed as soon as he was able. Valbar took a knee in front of Leon, and the former sniper drew his knees together, confused and embarrassed by this strange behavior. He opened his mouth to ask, but soon noticed that Valbar was merely unlacing his sandals, and allowed the treatment.

"I can take my shoes off myself, old friend. I'm not that crippled," he groused, cupping his cheek and turning his head away.

"We've had a long journey. You should relax," Valbar countered. "Wouldn't want to run the risk of you running out of that elixir before we make it home, now would we?"

"This is your vacation," Leon shot back, "you should be the one relaxing."

"I am very relaxed. I have exactly what I wanted from this portion of our trip; to waste time with good ale and better friends." Valbar's earnestness relaxed Leon, and he let the other set his sandals aside. "If you don't mind, however, I would like to return to the bar for a while. A friend I haven't seen since before we joined up with Her Highness has recently come in the door. I would like to catch up with her for a bit, but I will return shortly." The _her_ felt like a knife in Leon's gut, but he didn't let the pain show on his face.

"Of course. I'm not going anywhere," Leon said, and shucked his vest, leaving him only in a blouse and a pair of thin slacks. He started moving up the bed in jerky motions, but Valbar bid him stop and scooped up the light body to lay him in a more comfortable position where his cane and a pouch of drinking water were in easy reach.

"I will return soon. Get some rest," Valbar said, smiling fondly at the blushing younger man.

"Sure thing," was all Leon could manage. He considered pleasuring himself after his beloved had left, thoughts of his dalliances with Kamui having his body interested earlier, and Valbar's kneeling before him fresh on his mind, but he quickly succumbed to exhaustion and medication. He fell into a deep slumber, not even waking when Valbar and their carriage driver moved their things into their room.

With the driver gone, Valbar rid himself of his boots and his hat, and changed into a shirt more comfortable for sleeping in. He slid into bed behind Leon and watched the slight chest rise and fall with his breath. When Leon sighed through painted lips, Valbar gave in to his urge to touch the other, placing a hand gently over his belly. He let the other's breathing lift and drop his hand, and he became concerned over just how concave his stomach seemed when barren of breath. The smaller man gave a quiet whine and shifted away from the touch, turning on his side away from Valbar, who gave a sigh and finally lay down.

As the night grew colder, Leon began to shiver. Not having been able to sleep, even under the delightfully warm blankets he wrapped around the both of them, Valbar turned to face Leon and wrapped an arm around him. He moved toward the other until his belly touched the curve of Leon's back and spooned him sweetly, marveling at just how well they fit together. He gave a quiet sigh that ruffled Leon's hair.

"Valbar?" Leon asked blearily, bringing his hand up to the arm around his middle. He absently stroked his nails through the course hair on the strong arm.

"Yeah, it's me," Valbar said quietly, unable to keep himself from smiling against the back of Leon's head. He placed a kiss in the soft hair.

"Mm," Leon answered. "Am I dreaming?" he asked.

"Go back to sleep," Valbar said with a chuckle.

"But you're holding me," Leon breathed.

"You were shivering," Valbar reasoned.

"I get so cold at night, all alone," Leon trailed off. His soft snoring let Valbar know he'd drifted back off. A chunk of ice that had been clinging to Valbar's heart broke off, and he felt something warm growing there, the thing he'd been questioning since Leon's injury, under the thin and melting layer that remained. He resolved himself to tell Leon of his feelings before the end of their vacation.

As he held the slender form close, he tried to determine if he should talk to Leon before they left the city or if he should wait until they reached the island.

In the morning, Leon couldn't stop smiling about the wonderful dream he'd had, Valbar spooned up to him and whispering sweet nothings into his hair. He took another sip of the medicine and washed away the taste with a good deal of the water in the pouch Valbar had left him. He changed his clothes and brushed his hair before lacing up his sandals to head down the hall to a washroom with a fresh basin of clean water to wash his face in. He applied only a dab of color to the corners of his eyes before heading down the stairs to try to find something to eat. He hobbled a bit on his way to a seat next to Valbar, the medication only starting to take effect. He rested his cane against the table and tried not to wince.

"Leon! You should have called for me!" Valbar scolded, his voice nearly playful.

"Please," Leon brushed him off, "if I can get to market every day, a few stairs will not be the death of me, I assure you. What is for breakfast? I am simply famished." Leon couldn't help but snort at how quickly a plate heaped with eggs and ham was thrust in front of him. A cup of runny yogurt and thinly sliced fruit was placed beside his place, and Leon tucked into his food as Valbar ordered more.

"Always a lady," came a teasing voice to his left, and Leon turned his head, slurping up a piece of ham to find Saber leaning against the table.

"Morning, Saber," Leon grunted out, quickly turning back to his food.

"I'm here to show you both around today because Kamui got called out on business," Saber informed, ordering himself some of the same yogurt Leon was drinking.

The three spent a good deal of the day sight-seeing, though other than a few stunningly realistic statues of dragons and Jesse, most of the tour was designated to shops. Valbar and Sabre had a good chuckle over Leon losing himself at a boutique and haberdashery, trying on scarves and sarongs, occasionally throwing a hat Valbar or Saber's way. Finding a rather handsome leather porkpie hat, he braced himself on his cane and stood on the toes of his good leg to place the hat on Valbar himself. Valbar's cheeks colored as he looked down at Leon as he put his fingers to his lips to appraise the other's look.

"Oh boy," Saber said upon noticing the moment the two were having. "There are some rather nice cowls on the other side of the store," he trailed off for a moment, shaking his head, "I think I'm going to have a look." He quickly excused himself and went to strike up a chat with the in-store tanner, a somewhat younger woman he'd had his eye on for a while.

"You look good in that," Valbar muttered, referencing the blue sheer scarf Leon had draped over his chest.

"I appreciate the compliment, my friend, but we're assessing you at the moment. I like this hat on you. It compliments the shape of your face and works well with the color of your skin. I think I should get it for you."

"In that case, let me get that scarf for you," Valbar offered.

"This?" Leon asked, picking up one end of it to show the delicate gold beads that dangled from the ends. "Goodness, no, this thing is made of a really rare fabric that is colored with gemstones, and these beads are bone, painted with real gold. It would cost far too much."

"But it looks good on you," Valbar reasoned.

"What would I even wear it with?" Leon asked.

"Wear it by itself," Valbar suggested.

"And go nude otherwise?" Leon asked with a laugh.

"Well, I mean," the older man's cheeks were turning darker with every breathy giggle that escaped his friend, "wear pants, obviously."

"I have no pants that come close to wearable with something like this," he said, bringing the scarf to his cheek to feel the sleek fabric.

"Then we'll find you some to go with it at another store, and you can help me find something to go with this," Valbar offered, motioning to the hat.

"I suppose we could do that," Leon relented.

Once they were finished in the store, they went looking for Saber, who bid his potential conquest farewell with, "I guess I'm taking the girls shopping. I'll see you later, Rahne."

Saber got a good laugh out of watching Leon and Valbar dress each other up in shops throughout the city, having to wipe a tear from his eye at one point at the horrified look on Valbar's face at the complicated shirt Leon had stuffed him in.

Back at the inn's bar, Saber ordered a pint and embarrassed his friends with tales of their shopping exploits.

"Friends!" Jesse cheered, throwing an arm around both of their shoulders. When Leon gave him a startled look, the blonde pressed a kiss to his lips, complete with a dramatic smacking noise. Leon shoved him away, tempted to smack the man with his cane. Jesse laughed and sat on the table between the two, leaning back on one hand and calling for a pint. "It has been too long! How have your lives been?"

Catching up with Jesse was a tedious affair, someone interrupting them for one reason or another every ten minutes or so. When it grew late, Leon excused himself, saying he needed a bath. Valbar caught his arm.

"Do you need assistance?" he asked. Leon tittered.

"I can bathe myself," he answered, "but, if you want to help, I'm sure there's room for one more in the washroom." Leon walked off, letting his hand linger on a sputtering Valbar's shoulder until it could no longer.

Once more, Valbar spooned Leon at night, though he was wide awake when the older man cuddled with him that time.

"Friend?" Leon asked.

"You shake in your sleep," Valbar explained.

"Well, it does get quite cold," he answered. After a few minutes, tension eased from his body and he settled in to the embrace. His heart, however, refused to calm, beating wildly about his breast. "Valbar?" he whispered after a long moment.

"Hmm?" the other asked, sounding on the verge of sleep.

Leon took a deep breath. "Kamui said I should speak with you again. Regarding," he trailed off, about to abandon the conversation, but he pressed on, over the lump in his throat, "feelings."

"Later," Valbar countered. "Rest now."

So Leon did.

The next morning, Valbar mentioned wanting to visit a weapons shop to the north side of town, but Leon wanted no part of that. Jesse jumped at the chance to shirk his duties and offered to lead the way. After Leon assured the man he would be alright by himself more than once, Valbar and Jesse departed.

Partway through the day Leon spent lounging around the bar, Kamui wandered in to keep him company.

"Have you had a chance to talk to Valbar yet?"

"Why are you insisting upon this? Do you think I'll fling myself into your arms when he rejects me? If you're looking for a man, might I suggest Jesse? I'm fairly certain his gate swings... whichever way the wind blows."

"Nah," Kamui said, a small, sad smile on his lips. "You're the only man I've ever had feelings for. If not you, it'll be a woman." He shook his head. "Still, he writes me, and I think you should have a nice, long talk with him as soon as possible. And you should start practicing writing so you can tell me what happens. I want to know what's going on in your life, damn it." He ruffled Leon's hair, earning himself an undignified squeak.

"Oh! I have more fruit for you! But I don't know if I want to give it to you now that you've mussed my hair!"

"Leon, you're the best fruit I could ask for," Kamui teased.

He would later marvel over the decorative basket of citrus fruits, pomegranates and cactus fruits. He quickly squirreled it away so Jesse's quick hands wouldn't have a chance to swipe any of it.

Valbar was in bed and asleep before Leon came up but, once in comfortable clothes, the purple haired man curled up at his side, resting a hand on the other's belly while drifting off to sleep.

On the last day of their time in the city, Deen showed up and stopped merely to say 'hello,' and prove to the others that he was still alive before vanishing with Jesse.

Leon made the excuse of wanting to turn in early and asked for Valbar's help in order to get this dreaded conversation started.

"Last night you said we would talk later," Leon said as Valbar peeled off his dainty shoe. "It's later."

Valbar grimaced, setting the shoe aside and turning to the other.

"I'd rather this conversation wait until we're soaking in the baths Her Highness told me about when she offered me the island trip."

"Is it that bad?" Leon asked, leaning forward. He ran his fingers through Valbar's hair, breaking up the stiffness of the product he used to keep it so tidy.

"I don't know yet," Valbar answered honestly, letting Leon pet him. "I've been thinking on it for quite some time, and I still don't have a clear answer." He took Leon's injured leg and gently massaged it, smiling a bit when Leon let out a delighted sigh.

"You've never been the type to have to think to hard about things, my friend. You've always known right from wrong and stayed true to your heart. That's what I love about you."

"Well, the heart does muddy things," Valbar said, sitting cross-legged so he could continue to rub the other's leg. "It is wrong to kill, and yet my heart told me to avenge my family."

"Your family were innocent people, Valbar. You don't need me to remind you of that, do you? You rid the world of terrible people who would only have robbed more people of their families, and you helped save the entire continent- nay, the entire world- from peril and slavery. I'm sure your heart is in the right place."

"Thanks, Leon," Valbar said. Leon's cheeks heated at the earnestness and warm smile.

"Think nothing of it," he said, finding a painting hanging on the wall more interesting for the moment. "What kind of friend would I be if I didn't occasionally reassure you, eh?" He looked back at Valbar and wiggled his toes. "Now, that dreadful conversation you keep putting off?"

Valbar chuckled. "I'd still like to wait until we're soaking in tea baths."

"Ooh," Leon cheered. "Tea baths? Those are said to keep the skin youthful and radiant. Why didn't you tell me they had those before?"

"So you'd be chomping at the bit to get out of here when our friends are so excited to see us?"

"Well, they should get tea baths here, too, then!" Leon huffed. Valbar stood and took off his vest and boots. He lay his hat on the bedside stand next to Leon's cane.

"Is it alright if I hold you again? I get overheated under these blankets, and the coolness of your skin is rather refreshing."

"Overheated?" Leon lamented. "But, of course. I welcome your embrace."

Valbar curled around Leon, tucking his face into the other's slender neck. The slighter man traced Valbar's knuckles with his fingers, fitting himself as snugly against the other as he could. He wanted to stay like this as long as he possibly could, fearing whatever it was Valbar was planning on talking to him about.

Morning came too quickly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Would anyone read a Deen/Jesse story where they go on an actual adventure together to face the past Jesse ran from, or a one-sided Silque/Tobin where Tobin is gay, and in offering to be his beard, Silque falls in love with him? I have a couple of ideas rattling around in my skull, and I'd like to get a feel for what you all would like.


	3. Bathing In The Light Of Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again for all the kind comments! 
> 
> This chapter earns that explicit rating you all signed on for when we started this journey.

Leon woke early to Valbar shifting around behind him. The man mumbled in his sleep, pressing his lower body hard against Leon's. The merchant gasped when he realized just what was happening. The object of his heart's desire was having a delightful dream and grinding the evidence of that against Leon's rear.

"Oh, gods," Leon breathed, considering reaching down to touch himself. However, the second he shifted, Valbar's arm tightened around him and pulled him closer, grinding that much harder. Leon bit his lip, his cheeks burning with embarrassment, with want. He shimmied his hips, earning a breathy gasp against his ear. "Oh, why must you torment me so, dear friend?" Leon whispered. Finally, he reached back to slide his hand between their bodies and correct the placement of his beloved's engorged length so it could slide between his cheeks rather than press into one uncomfortably.

"Mnh, Leon?" Valbar asked, waking slowly.

"S-sorry, friend," he managed, "you were poking me, and it was becoming quite uncomfortable." He let out a strained little laugh.

"Gods," Valbar gasped, pulling away quickly despite his otherwise sluggish movements. "Forgive me, I-"

"Think nothing of it," Leon said, remaining on his side to hide the way he was affected by the stimulation. "It is only natural for a hot-blooded man to have desires."

"Still, to suject you to that when I merely wanted to- to hold you while we slept. It's- shameful," Valbar muttered, sitting up and turning away from the other.

"Nonsense," Leon cooed, turning to look at Valbar's back, unable to curl up his bum leg to hide his own desire. He figured the blankets still over him could manage that, what with Valbar moving away. "Honestly, it feels nice to be desired, even if it was only the pressure of my body against yours that caused it. Still," he trailed off with a brief, sad chuckle. "Well, we do have tea baths to get to. If you would hand me my medicine?"

"O-of course," Valbar sputtered. He handed Leon the little glass bottle and a waterskein even as his desire ached.

After yet another hearty breakfast, they were seen off by Kamui, Saber, Jesse and his entourage.

Leon found the ride to the port excruciatingly long, even with the driver's tales of his wife's surprising resourcefulness in times of need. He found himself wondering, often, if Valbar was in the same state of anxiousness mixed with boredom, broken only by the occasional laughter their driver's stories provided.

In truth, Valbar was just as anxious, admonishing himself for his behavior. Though he managed to forgive himself when they stopped to water the horses. The past was the past, as he often said.

They shared a lunch they picked up with their driver, and Leon swallowed his pride to ask Valbar if he'd teach him how to spell certain words on the rest of their journey to the port. Their journey lasted six days, and they lamented their trip being more than half over.

They parted ways with their driver at the port, saying they'd sent word a day before they were ready to head back to the halidom.

Leon had trouble standing on the boat and stuck close to Valbar, who readily wrapped an arm around the smaller body to hold him upright. The purple haired man kept apologizing, even as Valbar promised he didn't mind. He would occasionally rest his chin on Leon's head, taking pride in the soft sigh it earned him, and the slighter body relaxing against his. Valbar could have sworn he heard the rest of the ice flaking off of his heart as Leon pointed out fish mouthing at the surface of the water, his very soul warmed by Leon's delighted laughter. When they caught each others' stares for a long moment, Valbar was relieved that Leon playfully slapped his chest and called him out on daydreaming, as he was sure he would have kissed the other in that moment.

Off the boat, Leon swore he would have kissed the ground had he been sure he would be able to get to his feel again should he drop to his knees.

They were greeted by Boey and Mae, who had a toddler on her hip. Two five-year-old twins stared out from behind Boey's legs.

"Welcome, friends," Boey said.

"Daddy," one of the five-year-olds started, tugging on Boey's pants leg. Boey looked down at his child for what he wanted. "She's pretty," the boy said. Boey laughed.

"He's a man," Boey corrected, ruffling the child's hair.

"Oh. Well, he's pretty, then," the child said with a huff.

"Your son has good taste," Leon teased. "Now, I heard something about tea baths?"

"You don't want to get set up in a room first? Alright," Mae said with a shrug. "I can show you to the baths while Boey takes Valbar and your things to your room."

"Why do I have to do the heavy lifting?" Boey lamented.

"Uh, because you're the man. Not to mention I just had a child," she complained, nodding her head toward the youth resting on her hip and clinging to her shirt.

"Yeah, three years ago! Man, I've seen you lift things heavier than me since then," he groused, but grabbed Leon's gear regardless. Mae smiled brightly at her victory and motioned for Leon to follow her.

"I'll just drop Caldur off with Genny real quick, then we'll have a dip," Mae said, slowing down so Leon could follow without issue.

"We?" Leon asked, a fine brow arching.

"Well, yeah. I figured we'd catch up over a bath, maybe share some beauty secrets. I have some nice scrubs and face masks we could try out." She stopped and turned to Leon. "You're gay, right? Or have I been wrong all these years?"

"You are correct," Leon said, trying not to laugh, though his amusement showed in his voice. "Though, even when one bathing companion is a homosexual, it still isn't considered right for a man and a woman to bathe together. Or have things changed since I've been taking my baths alone?"

"Ah, who cares? You're gay, and even if you weren't, I'm not interested, so it's not like it matters. And... alone? You aren't sharing baths with Valbar?" A blush burned the bridge of Leon's nose at her intense stare after her very personal question.

"I- no, and this conversation isn't for the ears of children," Leon said, giving a pointed look toward the youth at her side.

"Eh, he doesn't know what we're talking about," Mae blew off Leon's concern. "I'm kinda surprised, to be honest. I could have sworn you and Valbar were together. After all, he made such a fuss about bringing you here with him." She resumed walking in the direction of Genny's place. Leon hobbled just a little faster, interested now.

"He did?"

"Oh yeah, after Celica suggested it to us, Boey and I started writing him, and he insisted you come. Told us you'd want to spend a good deal of time in the tea baths, and at the market sampling fruits that you could buy and take home to sell," she trailed off, smirking conspiratorially at Leon.

"I don't think I like it when you smile like that," Leon muttered.

"Oh please," she said, waving him off.

After dropping off her son, she led Leon to the baths. After helping assist the crew in filling the large bath with green tea and rosewater, she made an excuse about forgetting a prior arrangement she had made and vanished.

Leon sighed as he was looking forward to prying as much information out of the gossip as he could, but the baths smelled wonderful, so he slipped in. Another sigh left his lips as he sank into the chest-deep water. It felt absolutely amazing, the water gently lapping at his chest and knee, soothing away the slight ache walking around with Mae had started. He dipped his head forward until his chin touched the water and smiled to himself, absently wondering if he would nod off.

Some time had passed, Leon musing about what Valbar could have possibly told Mae, and soft footfalls roused him from his near-sleep state. He looked up to find Valbar staring at him, already flushed from face to chest by the heat. Leon's lips turned up in a lascivious smile, taking in the other's form that he rarely had a chance to see.

"Gonna take that off and join me?" he asked, referring to the towel around the bigger man's waist.

"I- well," Valbar sputtered.

"It feels wonderful in here. This was worth every bit of pain," Leon cooed. That settled Valbar, and the man sat his towel aside, sliding into the water. He made his way to Leon and sat by his feet, taking the other's leg. "Oh, I wouldn't do that right now," Leon warned, letting the other caress his leg, anyway.

"And why is that?" Valbar asked, trying his hand at a flirtatious tone. He gently squeezed Leon's calf and rubbed over his knee with the other hand.

"I'm very sensitive right now," Leon warned, his back arching as Valbar's massage became more firm. "Oh," he breathed, "wait- you said-" his words were broken up by soft panting, "we would talk about what was bothering you while soaking in the baths."

Valbar sighed and let Leon's leg go, taking up a seat to the smaller man's side. "I suppose I did," he admitted, drawing up the leg closest to Leon to hide the way the sounds the other had afflicted him with arousal.

Leon made a happy little noise from somewhere in his throat and laid his head against Valbar's bicep. "Now, my friend, what has been bothering you?"

"It's you," Valbar answered. Before Leon could lift his head, the older man continued; "Ever since you took that lance, I've been thinking about a lot. I missed having you fight at my side. It was so," and he trailed off for a moment, turning away from the other, "fulfilling. When you kept me company on the battlefield, I had everything I wanted.

"But, as the days went by, I started to feel quite lonely. I missed looking over to see your smiling face right there." He sighed heavily. "Sir Clive tried to set me up with ladies from the castle, but that's not what I wanted. Not what I needed. I missed having you close," he admitted. "I'm still numb to the thought of being with another woman, but you- you've wormed your way into my heart."

"Valbar?" Leon asked, his voice trembling, fingers shaking as he gripped the bend of the other's arm.

"What has troubled me has been that I've never before found myself attracted to another man. I've taken the time to look at those around me in the Brotherhood, to see if I could see myself with any of them, and I just can't." He scratched his nose nervously before carrying on, "I continued this trend when we were visiting our friends and- I will admit, Jesse has a certain charm, but not enough charm for me to see him in that light." Valbar rested his hand on his knee, scratching to keep himself from giving in to the desire to wrap his arm around Leon.

"So, what does this mean for us?" Leon asked, nuzzling the muscle.

"I don't know. I was hoping you'd have some insight. I spent so long with my head up my own behind, not seeing that exactly what I was craving was right in front of me, that I wouldn't blame you if you'd moved on."

"I couldn't move on from someone so wonderful," Leon said, stretching out his leg that had grown stiff in his terror over what Valbar might be trying to tell him. His stomach was full of butterflies and wasps, still a bit fearful that the other might have something awful to tell him, and sick with excitement over the idea that his feelings may be returned. "But, a few questions do raise their ugly heads for me," he admitted quietly.

"Those being?" Valbar asked, his voice shaking only slightly.

"If you've never had feelings for another man before, what makes me so special?" he chose to start.

"In truth, I believe it was your devotion. You don't do anything with half your heart, and I like that. But, if you're referring to my attraction to you, I fear it may have something to do with how feminine you look." Leon made a mildly irritated noise. "You are strong, my friend, please do not take offense at my appraisal of your looks as feminine."

"Well," Leon started with a sigh, "I suppose I do participate in a bit of feminizing. But I never made an attempt to fool anyone into thinking I'm a woman."

"And I never accused you of that. It's just," and Valbar gave a slight shrug, "you have a natural grace, and a soft face. You do wear makeup, too..."

"I assumed most men who could be swayed to love another man would prefer a feminine one."

"As long as you stay true to yourself, it matters not to me if you are masculine or feminine," Valbar said, finally looking over at Leon. "Do you still hold feelings for me in your heart, my dearest friend?"

Leon held eye contact with Valbar as he answered; "I do. However, I would like to see us home and back to our regular routines before we talk more of furthering our relationship." When Valbar turned to him, Leon leaned up on his good leg, on his knee, to brace himself on the man's shoulders. "Do not protest," he ordered softly. "This trip has been physically and emotionally exhausting to the both of us, and I wouldn't want to see our potential reduced to that of the Amorphophallus Titanium."

"Uh, the what?" Valbar asked, taking a hold of Leon about his ribs, splaying his fingers over them. Leon laughed softly.

"It's a flower that blooms only every thirty years. I was saying that your feelings may be intense right now because this situation is one that is out of the ordinary for you, but those feelings may not remain the same once we return home." He scooted closer to Valbar so he could drape himself along the larger chest. "There is nothing I want more than to love you and be loved in return, but should your feelings turn out to only be from the stress of forced relaxation, I would rather continue to long for something I can not have, instead of having a taste of something wonderful, then having it ripped away from me."

"I wouldn't do that to you, Leon," Valbar promised.

"I trust that you wouldn't, my love, but humor me," he asked.

"Right, of course," Valbar said with an eager nod, wrapping his arms around Leon and pulling him close. "This is acceptable, right?"

"Yes, quite," Leon cooed, settling in to the embrace.

Later, they would climb from the baths, Leon complaining about his skin pruning. Valbar would take his hand and kiss two of his wrinkled fingers before the younger man swatted him away. Dry and dressed, they headed for their hotel room, only to find Mae and Boey waiting for them with a home-cooked meal. Mae wouldn't stop grinning, and it embarrassed Valbar, making the big man blush and her grin grow wider. When Boey made a noise that sounded vaguely disgusted and rolled his eyes, Mae swatted him, starting a whole new argument between the two. Leon laughed and tucked into his food, sneaking bites of candied sweet potatoes to Mae and Boey's oldest children.

Mae took Leon around to the most popular vendors the next day, Valbar and Boey following behind them and catching up. Valbar covered his blushing face with his hat when Boey poked fun at him for Leon's delighted squealing when he found things he thought would sell well back home. After collecting contact information and purchasing a bushel of sea grapes and a crate of pineapples, Leon decided to turn in and Valbar followed, eager to get away from Mae's devious grins.

"Would it be alright if I held you tonight?" Valbar asked, dressed only in thin slacks.

"You won't get overheated in this weather?"

"I may, but it would be worth it to hold you close to me."

"I suppose I could bare the heat then, as well," Leon relented.

They laid face-to-face that night, Leon's face tucked into Valbar's neck, fingers carded in his chest hair.

They spent their last day on the island just lounging, occasionally playing with their friends and their children in the shallow waters of the beach. When they parted at the docks, Mae's twins were reluctant to let Leon go.

"I'll come back some day, I promise," he told them. "Maybe when you get older, you can convince your parents to come visit us."

"We will have to come up for your wedding," Mae said, cocking her hip. "We came up for everyone else's." Leon laughed, long and hearty. Boey even chuckled as Valbar hid his face in his hat once more.

Back on the mainland, they met up with their carriage driver, who saw them back to the capital. He was grateful for the two pineapples he was gifted, and promised to swing by with a small piece of whatever treat his wife made with them for Leon.

Valbar was reluctant to part with Leon, but the other informed him that he must open his stall once more, lest he not be able to maintain his lodgings. Valbar spent his last two days off helping Leon collect all of his shipments of fruits and ingredients for makeups. He was gifted with a kiss to the cheek before he would turn in early, having to return to work the next day.

Over the next few weeks, Leon only saw Valbar twice a week, but the man made a solid effort to set aside time for him. They shared dinner after Leon was done at the market on those days, buying from other vendors to make things they were good at making. Leon gained a few pounds as Valbar was insistent that the man consume meat and dairy, and it relieved the bigger man to see Leon's stomach no longer concave.

One day, Leon was feeling particularly devious, having thwarted another woman's demands for the recipe to the amazing makeup he sold her, and when Valbar showed up, he became that much merrier.

"Leon, my friend," he greeted. "Would you care to come to my place this evening? We have tomorrow off because it is the king and queen's anniversary."

"My, aren't you forward today!" Leon teased. The baker, who was over at Leon's stall chatting with him before Valbar arrived, tittered.

Valbar pulled his hat down over his reddening face and the woman's laugh became a hearty one. "I only meant to-"

"I know, my friend. I was simply teasing. I would be delighted."

As Leon set about taking down his stall, the baker pulled him aside. "You will be good to him, or I will chase you down and beat you with a stick, knight or no. Understand?"

"Y-yes, ma'am," he stammered.

"Good, then. Have a wonderful evening," she said with a polite curtsy.

At Valbar's home, they ate well, complete with spongy cake for desert. They talked of their daily lives and shared wine until Leon suggested they turn in.

"I would like to change before we go to bed, if you do not mind," Leon said, holding up the bag he had brought.

"Of course," Valbar offered. He climbed into bed in only thin slacks and waited for Leon's return. He thought he should snuff out most of the candles that lit the room, but decided he might like to see to Leon's comfort first. When Leon returned, Valbar's lips parted at the sight that greeted him from the doorway.

Leon stood, braced on the door's frame in only a pair of pants as see-through as the scarf adorning his torso. "You'll forgive me if I'm being too forward," he said, and walked in, leaving his cane against the bedside stand as he climbed into bed. "You'll surely have to hold me close tonight, or I fear I might freeze to death in as little as I'm wearing," he cooed, bringing up one shoulder to hide the sly grin he couldn't help. "I fear I may be wearing even less before the night is over."

"Leon," Valbar breathed, making room for the other, taking him in his arms as soon as he was able. "Does this mean that you want to take our relationship further? I haven't even declared my love for you yet, I-" a finger against his lips stopped him.

"I feel your love for me in your actions. I see now that I never should have worried whether or not your feelings were true. My dear," he said, finally caressing the jaw he'd admired for so many years. Valbar was clean shaven, some product softening his skin making it a delight for Leon's fingers. "I've longed just to be this close to you for so many years, I never dreamed that you would be as absorbed in me as I am in you. I never thought that it would even cross your mind to bring our lips together, so let us not waste another moment."

Valbar's eyes closed briefly as their lips met in their first kiss, but he couldn't resist opening them again to watch Leon give all of himself to the action, making soft noises of pleasure. Slender arms wrapped around his neck and he maneuvered the paler body underneath him, spreading his knees to brace himself and keep his weight off of Leon. Never breaking their kiss, he pulled the scarf from Leon, provoking the rosy nipples he could see through the sheer fabric with the beaded ends. He then pulled back to watch them pebble with excitement, to watch Leon gasp at the teasing touch.

"Don't tease me, my love. It's been so long since either of us has known the comfort of another body, much less one we love," Leon begged, pushing his hips up against Valbar's, his injured leg hooked loosely around one of Valbar's thickly muscled thighs.

The bigger man looked down Leon's body, his face heating at the way the other's slender length strained against the dark purple fabric that did little to hide his excitement. "I've never-" Valbar started, stopping to swallow thickly, running the backs of his fingers over Leon's length and watching him jerk weakly. "I may need a moment to figure this out."

"Oh, it's not too difficult. A little oil and your strong fingers caressing me intimately are all I need to become a vessel for your pleasure," Leon murmured, shifting his hips impatiently.

"And what of your pleasure?" Valbar asked, moving his hand up to splay it over Leon's ribs, his thumb brushing a tight nipple.

"Oh, my love," Leon said, a warm smile on his face, his eyes shining with unshed tears over Valbar's concern. "Giving you pleasure will surely make me sing with the very same feeling."

Valbar's breath caught at the sentiment, and he wrapped the younger man tighter in his one-armed embrace. "Alright, so then...?"

"Oil your fingers and put them in me, one at a time. Oh, and be sure to kiss me in the process, or I'll surely wail your ears useless," Leon instructed, scratching his fingers through Valbar's sideburns, rubbing his thumbs lovingly over his high cheekbones.

Dipping his fingers in the jug kept between the bed and stand, Valbar pushed his hand into the see-through slacks, teasing the eagerly jumping length on his way past it. Leon gasped at the moisture over his pucker, worrying his lip with his teeth as one thick finger breached him. Valbar's length gave an impatient twitch at the heat around his digit, at the sound Leon made at the penetration.

"Give me your lips my love," Leon whined.

Taking Leon's lips, Valbar pushed his finger deeper, groaning into the other's mouth as his finger was squeezed. He moved in and out a few times, until Leon broke the kiss to rasp out a plea for another.

Valbar was starting to wonder if his length would even fit inside the body that could barely take two of his fingers, writhing as it was opened up on two thick digits. Leon pushed back, his nails digging into Valbar's lats, tongue trying in vain to wrap around the one exploring his mouth carefully. He whined when the brunette broke their kiss. "What now?"

"One more, my love, one more," Leon pleaded, "and quickly. Oh, I have such a need. Please. I wish to see you have pleasure, too."

"Can you not feel this?" Valbar managed to tease, rocking his hips forward so his still-clothed but steely length could push against a supple thigh. Leon begged once more, hauling himself up to take Valbar's lips again as a third finger pushed it's way inside. After that point, Valbar made quick work of opening Leon. The younger man nearly growled when the fingers slipped free of him, and quickly shimmied out of his pants, Valbar doing the same.

"Apply a little more oil and take me," Leon bit out, one hand moving to his mouth so he could bite his finger and try not to cry out his desperation. Valbar pulled Leon's hand away and urged the other to wrap it around his neck. He slicked his length hurriedly, dripping Leon's belly and thighs in his haste. He took himself in hand as Leon's fingers found his hair and pulled his head into his neck.

Leon cried out when the thick head breached him, his hips pushing back against Valbar's careful thrusting. The older man was trying to work himself in slowly, but Leon would have none of that, his hips gyrating as he tried to take more of Valbar inside him. Soon he could take no more, and Valbar thrust hard. Leon screamed.

"Are you alright?" Valbar asked, his heart aflutter with panic and need. The hot passage gripped him tightly, beckoning him to chase his pleasure, but he held still, waiting for Leon's response.

"Yes!" Leon gasped out. "Do not stop, f- ah!" his words were cut off when Valbar set a brutal pace, pounding Leon into the mattress, kissing his neck and squeezing his sides all the while. After a minute, Leon started to squirm.

"Wait, my love-" he gasped. Valbar stopped immediately and the purple haired man whined in protest.

"Leon, are you alright?" Valbar asked, managing to pull his head away from the sweating neck he'd been sucking love marks into.

"More than alright," Leon managed with a broken little laugh. "I merely wanted to show you something else."

"Something else?" Valbar asked, shifting his weight to his knees, but not pulling out. Leon groaned at the new angle and rotated his hips a few times, panting and writhing until Valbar's hands on his cheeks stopped him. "My dearest?"

"Right," Leon reminded himself righ a sigh. "Pull out and lay back on the bed. If my leg is going to hurt in the morning, I may as well show you something wonderful."

"If it will cause you pain, I don't-"

"Hush and do as I say," Leon ordered, and Valbar couldn't help but obey. He found himself struck by Leon's beauty, his hair mussed and lips swollen from abuse, his neck covered with marks of possession. Leon pushed his hair out of his face as he crawled over Valbar, straddling him, his legs spread wide to be able to rest his knees on the bed. It took a moment to find a comfortable position for his leg, but when he did, Leon braced himself on Valbar's chest with one hand, and reached off to the side to coat his fingers in oil. He slicked up Valbar once more and took joy in the way Valbar grit his teeth to keep himself quiet from the pleasure of simple stroking. He had to grip himself hard not to lose himself at the deep groan Valbar let out when he took the other inside himself once more.

"This feels amazing," Valbar breathed in wonder, watching as Leon undulated his hips. He gripped the sheets under him in order not to reach out and grab those dancer's hips and shove him down on his cock. Leon couldn't respond, just gave him a small smile before his lips parted in a moan. Valbar couldn't help but thrust up as he watched Leon practically dance on him, squeezing his length near-painfully. "I can't take much more of this," Valbar warned, eyes traveling down from the sweet face, watching Leon's long but slender length bounce as he did, and was surprised to find that he had no negative feelings toward it. In fact, he desired to touch it again, but didn't trust his hands, so he simply called out for the other, warning him once more of how close he was.

"L-let go, my love," Leon ordered, threading his fingers in the curls about Valbar's chest. "I'll follow you shortly," and he cried out at the way Valbar's length throbbed, the way it surged as he was filled with his lover's seed. Leon cursed to himself and redoubled his efforts, taking himself in hand.

"Let me," Valbar rasped, not yet recovered from orgasm, but feeling an intense need to see the other feel as he did. He took the slender length in hand and thumbed at the glans as Leon rocked his hips on the still hard, but softening length still inside him. His orgasm would be counted among the most beautiful sights Valbar had ever seen; blushing body spasming with pleasure, lips parted in an ear-piercing squeal, porcelain-looking cock spitting his joy into the hair on Valbar's belly. Leon continued to grind even as he came down from bliss, eventually just settling in, resting his hands on Valbar's pecs.

Valbar's cock gave an interested twitch, making a valiant attempt for another round and Leon gasped.

"I'm sorry," Valbar muttered, somewhat embarrassed. "You looked," and he searched for the words, finally settling on, "so beautiful."

"Thank you, my love. You did as well, and you felt so amazing. I've never been so full," he cooed, wiggling his hips. Valbar quickly took Leon's hips and held him still. He wasn't sure he had the energy to go again. Leon chuckled. "We will have to clean up soon," he lamented, "but right now I want nothing more than to curl up with the most wonderful man in the world, the one who owns my heart and my body."

Valbar considered teasing Leon, asking him to send this man his way if he had the time, but decided he'd rather be truthful; "right now I want nothing more than to hold the little flatterer I've fallen in love with." Leon's tired smile chased away the chill that lingered in his heart, even though all the ice had fled weeks ago. He eased the smaller body off of him and into his embrace. They shared a lingering kiss before giving in to exhaustion.

As the months moved on, the two only found the time to make love every few weeks or so, but showed their appreciation for each other often. Valbar helped Leon improve his writing skills, and Leon showed the man how to wield a bow, thus making Valbar capable of wielding any weapon that wasn't magic. Leon started taking lessons under Luthier, learning the basics of magic. He barely weaseled his way out of Mathilda's etiquette classes, but somehow managed to avoid the subject whenever she brought it up.

When one of her students brought him a bouquet, he told her that his heart officially belonged to another, and pointed her in the way of the male Pegasus rider. The student was surprised to find out that one of her classmates was male and Clair would deny until her dying breath that she laughed like a horse at the admission.

Nearly a year into their relationship, Valbar asked Leon to move in with him. They had a long talk over how Leon would get to market every day, Valbar's home being much further away than his own, but they found a solution.

As he finished packing his things to move in with Valbar on the morrow, and headed off to market with the man with the donkey pulling his cart for him, he struck up conversation;

"My friend, how would you like an actual house to raise your daughter in?"

"I would love that, but I can barely afford to feed and clothe the both of us as it stands," the mad admitted.

"Well, what would you say if I provided you with a house, and all you'd have to do would be to come to my new home and take my wares to and from the market every day?" The man stopped in response and nearly let go of the rope tied to the bit in his pack mule's mouth.

"Sir, I couldn't-"

"Oh, please, you'll be earning it, I promise. I'm moving somewhere much farther away."

"How far away?"

"The Banneret neighborhood on the north side of the city."

"That is far, but it isn't too far. I- I could actually manage that. Are- are you serious about this offer?"

"Indeed I am," Leon said with a pleased smile. "You can move in on the morrow, if you like."

"Thank you so much, sir," the man said, unable to stop his voice from shaking. He brought his hand up to wipe away the tears that fell.

"I'm also leaving some things I have no need for, so feel free to help yourself to what you want and sell what you don't."

A few weeks after that he was able to roam the castle gardens, letting out caterpillars he had received from his bug-merchant when Clair came to have a chat with him.

"So," she started, folding her arms behind her back, "when's the wedding?" Leon laughed warmly.

"You know as well as I do that two men cannot get married."

"Oh, hog wash," she said, delighted to have a chance to use a phrase she'd picked up from Gray. "I'm sure Her Highness Anthise would make an exception for two of her dear friends."

"That would hardly be fair to others in our situation," Leon said with a fond shake of his head.

"Oh, in that case, maybe you should petition her to make it available to others like you." Leon looked up at her after the caterpillar had left his finger for the safety of a leaf.

"You know, I just might do that," he said, making a silent promise to himself to write Kamui about the effort he would undertake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading. If you have any other pairings you might like to see, please leave them in the comments. I prefer to only write slash, but I'm not opposed to writing cutesy, non-sexual hetero pairings. Up next, I will be writing the one-sided Silque/Tobin I mentioned before, and will start plotting the Deen/Jesse.


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